Just Rolled In: Burn Antares - "Crystal Love" [psychedelic / rock 'n' roll / 60s revival / soul]

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The 1960s might be long gone, but luckily enough for us millennials (and nostalgic baby boomers), psychedelic rockers Burn Antares from Sydney, Australia are gracing stages and studios today channeling the soul, melody, and groovy vibes intrinsic to that decade's music. Fronted by the seductive pipes of Grace Farriss, daughter of INXS keyboardist/guitarist/composer Andrew Farriss, Burn Antares manages to catapult us back almost half a century with their psychedelic guitar riffs and solos, jangly percussion, ceiling-busting background vocal harmonies, blazing organs, and of course, Farriss's soulful, energetic vocals, which are quite evocative of those of Stevie Nicks.

Already having released an excellent self-titled debut EP in late 2013, Burn Antares are back with the single "Crystal Love" from their upcoming EP Fur Coat & The Peace Boat, which is being released this October. Check out the track below, followed by their beautiful rework of INXS's song "By My Side" and a full stream of their debut EP.

Swell Album: Jordan Ruiz - The Mountain [indie folk / singer-songwriter]

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Screenshot from Jordan Ruiz's live video for "The Mountain" on YouTube

I get music entries from time to time here at holaOLA, but the music usually doesn't fit into what I like to write about on the blog or I don't really dig it in the first place. That's why Los Angeles singer-songwriter Jordan Ruiz has caught me completely off guard. He sends me a link to his new album The Mountain and after clicking 'play', as I would do with any entry, I am actually impressed by the opening bars; in this case, it's the artful acoustic guitar picking of the opening title track. Shortly after, his soothing voice floats in, taking on a loose resemblance to Iron & Wine, but before long, the song picks up into something genuinely beautiful, something that makes me think of Bon Iver. Horns come flying in with a pitter-patter drumbeat that escalates into an explosive chorus of uplifting heys, aahs and oohs (yes, in that order) to leave me truly inspired (...to hike up a mountain, maybe?). The only problem is that the song hardly makes it past two and a half minutes. Luckily for me, the remaining 35 minutes of the record help me maintain my newfound state of elation with nine more beautifully crafted ambient folk tunes that have so much heart that they also deserve comparisons to singer-songwriters James Vincent McMorrow and Ben Howard.

After listening, I'm left with the baffling question: With a voice this outstanding and an expertly-produced record, how hasn't Jordan Ruiz blown up yet? Well, I guess that's the nature of self-released albums on the Internet; we just have to give it time. In the meantime, take a listen to Jordan Ruiz's The Mountain below, share it with your friends, and buy a copy!

NoiseTrade is offering The Mountain and its five-song predecessor Sundial Heart, which is also great by the way, on a tip-what-you-think-it-deserves basis, or you can get the former on Jordan Ruiz's BandCamp page.

Just Rolled In: Stolen Jars - "Folded Out" [indie folk / loops / experimental]

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Cody Fitzgerald is a 21-year-old student from Montclair, New Jersey studying music and computer science at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. In 2009, after gaining experience playing in various bands, Fitzgerald decided to create his own material from the comfort of his bedroom, which birthed his loop-based experimental folk project Stolen Jars. A couple years later, with the help of some singing friends and a loop pedal, Fitzgerald managed to mesh his guitar, mandolin, bouzouki, and keyboard into a complex arrangement of sounds over busy organic percussion and sugarcoat it with saccharine harmonizing vocals to produce his debut self-titled full-length (available pay-what-you-want-style at BandCamp).

Now, Stolen Jars has incorporated 20-year-old vocalist Molly Grund as a member and is back with the first single "Folded Out" from their upcoming sophomore release Kept. It falls in line with the music on the first album, but this time, they've traded in the computer mic for some professional recording equipment; the percussion, guitar, and other instruments are more defined and the vocals have a more prominent presence. "Folded Out" unfolds, builds, and pushes along like a Delicate Steve or Dan Deacon song and sports a boy/girl vocal dynamic reminiscent of that of Dirty Projectors, only less jaunty, preferring a softer, more heartfelt approach.

Stream and download Stolen Jars' "Folded Out" for free below, as well as their 2011 debut album, and look out for their upcoming sophomore release Kept.

Swell EP: Griff's Room Band - Shut The Case EP [folk rock / pop rock / bluegrass]

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Griff's Room Band is a folk rock/pop trio from Virginia that formed in 2011 and earned its street credit (quite literally) by playing to tourists and locals alike on the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. Over the past few years of their existence, the three friends have tightened up their infectious sound, playing numerous shows at and away from their usual bench location (see picture above). They even traveled over to Europe to enliven other historic streets. Recently, they uprooted their two acoustic guitars and fiddle over to Richmond, VA to live and make music together, which led to their first proper recording.

Their debut EP entitled Shut The Case is a 6-song collection of what Griff's Room Band does best: upbeat folk pop with rich acoustic guitar melodies, lively fiddling, and vocal harmonies that are almost too perfect. From the energetic lead-off track "Cornerbooth" and the sincerity of "Could Be" to the bluegrass-leaning "The Fine Line" and complex intertwined guitar picking of "All In", Griff's Room Band's proves to be a band with enough range to please just about any pedestrian and the originality to attract active listeners.

Download the Shut The Case EP at iTunes or BandCamp and stream the whole thing below. If you happen to be in Richmond, VA on July 25, be sure to join Griff's Room Band and their good vibes for their CD Release Show.

—My personal favorites: Could Be, The Fine Line, All In—

Just Rolled In: Pepa Knight - "Clams" [world / indie pop / tropical]

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After making a big splash with his euphoric single "Rahh!" a few months ago, Central Coast, Australia's Pepa Knight is back with another catchy-as-hell single, "Clams", littered with his spirited lead vocals, tribal percussion and chants, Indian-influenced guitar/sitar plucking, and melodic backing vocals, which altogether, make it easy to understand why he describes his uplifting brand of worldly indie pop as 'tipi pop'.

If you're in Australia, you can catch Pepa Knight in concert August 1 in Sydney or August 7 in Melbourne. If not, enjoy the music on his SoundCloud until his debut Hypnotized is released later this year.

Artist Making Waves: LOW ROAR [dream folk / electronic / ambient pop] ***UPDATED (album stream added)***

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I've been listening to LOW ROAR's new singles a lot in the past few months and it's taken me this long to look deep enough into the band to find out that the man behind it all, Ryan Karazija, was the frontman of Oakland, CA's now defunct indie rock band Audrye Sessions. I saw them about 5 years ago in St. Petersburg, FL opening up for Manchester Orchestra with then-overlooked Fun and was really impressed by the band's eerie explosiveness, Ryan Karazija's soaring falsetto, and the way he played the guitar with a cello bow. While Audrye Sessions reminded me of Radiohead's energetic rock songs, LOW ROAR seems to derive influence from their slower, more expansive tracks, creating a dreamy brand of ambient electronic music with orchestral and post-rock elements.

I suppose when I saw that LOW ROAR was a band from Reykjavík, Iceland I simply deduced that its members must also be Icelandic, which was partly correct. Apart from California-native Karazija (pictured above in the center), there are two members from Iceland, and listed as a member on their Facebook page, but not pictured above, is American Grammy-winning producer Andrew Scheps, who contributed keys and programming on LOW ROAR's 2011 self-titled debut album, so it's safe to say he plays a similar role on their upcoming sophomore release entitled 0 (yes, that's a zero).

Moving to Iceland after the dissolution of his previous band, Karazija hoped to find inspiration similar to that of which most Icelandic musicians seem to feed off on the majestic Nordic island, and I'd say he's found it. Its awe-inspiring landscapes have made their way into LOW ROAR's vastly beautiful arrangements enough to have comparisons be drawn to Icelandic post-rock giants, Sigur Rós. Apparently, you don't have to be from Iceland to sound like you're from Iceland; you just have to live there.

Enjoy three dreamy tracks from LOW ROAR's sophomore release 0 below Stream LOW ROAR's new album 0 below, stream the debut album here, and be sure to pick up your own copy of 0 on July 8th.

Swell EP: The Tambourine Girls - The End of Time EP [psychedelic / folk rock / britpop]

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The Tambourine Girls is the side project of Simon Relf, the guitarist of Sydney, Australia's psychedelic indie pop band Deep Sea Arcade. With help from some friends and DSA bandmates, Relf has brought us his distinguished debut EP entitled The End of Time via Chugg Music. While it projects the psychedelia and nostalgic 90s Britpop characteristic of his main band's music, The End of Time stands apart with its reverb-heavy spiraling of guitar solos and acoustic strumming, its hazy pace, and its loose adherence to the traditional pop structure. Stream The Tambourine Girls' five-song EP below (purchase it here) and be sure to 'follow' the band to receive news on future tours and releases.

Just Rolled In: FISHING - "Your Mouth (feat. Jonas Nicholls)" [electronic / indie pop / beats]

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The Australian electronic duo FISHING from Sydney produces radiant sample-laden electronic music influenced by hip-hop and indie-pop. With their debut LP Shy Glow coming out this week via, and with summer finally here (for most of us) I found it all too appropriate to share the latest sunny single from the record entitled "Your Mouth", featuring Jonas Nicholls of fellow Sydney band SURES on vocals, as well as a couple other songs from the new album. If you're lacking summer vibes I'm sure this will help.